Monday Morning Insights

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    John Maxwell Arrested on Weapons Charges

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    You can read the whole story here at John’s blog.

    Kudos to John Maxwell.  Most people would have not mentioned this on their blog (I didn’t last week when I was arrested anyway); but John comes clean and explains the story… a much better solution than having word leak out through the media and blogs without an explanation.

    What do you think?


    Sounds like a real sensationalistic headline; but you have to read the whole story about how John Maxwell found himself in hand cuffs last week at the Atlanta airport. John writes:

    I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life. Early in my marriage I would win arguments with my wife, Margaret, and hurt her feelings really badly. I have made business moves that lost tens of thousands of dollars at a time. And I’ve made leadership decisions that led to failures for my organizations. But up until now, none of the dumb things I’ve done has gotten me arrested...

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    1. Ron Edmondson on Mon, March 16, 2009

      I posted this Saturday and from the comments, Facebook replies and Twitter DM’s not everyone is buying the story of “forgetting”.  Some feel he did this to avert all the attention he knew he would get in the media.


      Either way, I’d rather leaders handle it this way than to deny the charges or make up excuses. 


      Maxwell says, “I made a stupid mistake.”  I can buy that. 


      Ron Edmondson


      http://www.ronedmondson.com

    2. djchuang on Mon, March 16, 2009

      I’d be much more interested in how Todd was arrested… come on now, come clean! You know the word will spread if you don’t explain, right? http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif

    3. Gene on Mon, March 16, 2009

      i left a comment on John’s Blog that I want to pick up here.  Do we really think that he would have been able to recover from the mishap with bail if he looked a bit different?  If his skin was darker, if he looked swarthy, or if he was on a politically dangerous list, would he be able to be on bail or locked away because the Patriot Act would allow it to happen?  If a miracle had not occurred with the past election we would be steps closer to the fascist state that began 8 years ago, complete with press control and denial of civil liberties.  Some say they are willing for this to happen that we might be safe.  Our ignorance of history is appalling and we walk lock step to the tunes of despotic control.  This can happen from the right or the left.  As Christians most of should be ashamed that we have inserted political economy as a beatitude, as if God is a Capitalist, or that God is a Socialist.  Neither perspective is perfect as both involve the sinful nature of humankind.  So, I pray that John is more reflective on what liberties we have in our country and also how they are so easily taken away today, and sometimes it is only by the grace of God that we are not individually swept away with them…and…that we are politically correct or ethnically approved.  Think about it.  For some of us, this would have been the beginning a gulag vacation for the rest of out lives.

    4. Jerry on Mon, March 16, 2009

      Gene, I agree that if he looked different, had a reputation that wasn’t what it is and that there were some serious behavior issues in his past, he would have been detained. AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN!


      But let’s look at the facts: He is who he is, regardless of what he looks like; He enjoys a great reputation as a law-abiding citizen; he is not on a terrorist watch list; he does not have serious behavior issues; and his country of origin is not one that is a hot bed of terrorism; he is not unknown. Why shouldn’t he be able to post bail and go free?

    5. Jerry on Mon, March 16, 2009

      Go free in the sense that he will still face some charges for bringing a weapon into an airport.

    6. Sam on Mon, March 16, 2009

      I am neither a fan, nor a hater of Mr. Maxwell. I have read some of his work and found it helpful (or should I say Charlie Wetzel’s work).


      That being said, I found his explanation trite and wordy. I also found it difficult to believe (though I can’t imagine what his motivation would be to sneak it on the plane).


      I would not have chosen to use the whole Mr. Magoo thing. It makes him appear to be making light of a very serious crime.

    7. Joe on Mon, March 16, 2009

      As crazy as this story is, it seems believable to me. Was there any real motivation for Maxwell to be carrying a handgun onto a plane? If it was intentional, that’s about as obvious as waving the gun in the air—of course security would find it. I can think of a few people I know—in the hectic pace of life—who have forgotten things we don’t normally forget—and Maxwell does a lot of traveling and probably keeps his bags packed.

    8. Gene on Mon, March 16, 2009

      Jerry, I agree with all of your presumptions but that is my point…if he were a different hue of skin, there are laws on the books to deprive him of basic civil rights.  It is my friend our history that a law biding person who are deemed outside of being politically correct ( and this is a shifting, subjectively political determination) he would be at a lost right now.   We should not want him at a lost for that reason for it deconstructs the basics of our society.  We cease to be a nation of laws but a nation of perks to the ruling power.  This is where have been headed the last 8 years.  Surely you know about the no fly rule that allows persons who are not deemed worthy of civil protections to be denied even getting on a plane?  And who determines this secret list?

    9. Jan on Mon, March 16, 2009

      I could see my husband doing this LOL


      He had a pocket knife at the airport and I had to ask him if he had it and he had to throw it away before going through the gate check.  He would totally have done this.


      Just not sure about the wife getting it as a gift?  That sounds just a bit bizarre to me.


      But I don’t think this is a great deep blog that brings out issues of color and discrimination. 


      He DID get arrested.  And he’s a white guy with a name.  I think that says that it was an equal opportunity trip to the slammer.

    10. Jim Sparks on Mon, March 16, 2009

      There was some postings on Maxwell’s blog (Jesse and Kim) that were pretty stern and condemning.  I would like to submit a note of caution.  It’s been my experience that those who are stern and condemning are all too often the next to fall.  It may not be something as obvious as a gun in a handbag ... maybe a Playboy in a briefcase ... but beware.  As a Great Teacher once taught:  we will be forgiven as we forgive others.  And, lest we forget, the tall nail gets the hammer.  Just a thought…

    11. fishon on Mon, March 16, 2009

      Gene,


      YOU SAID:::that is my point…if he were a different hue of skin, there are laws on the books to deprive him of basic civil rights.


      ————Back that statement up. “...different hue of skin…deprive him of basic civil rights.” You say LAWS on the books. Prove it.


      Site the law——or is that just what you think the law says?


      fishon

    12. J on Mon, March 16, 2009

      I totally agree with Jan, it’s possible to see discrimination in almost anything that we want to.  When in reality there’s nothing discriminating about it at all.  It’s important to remember that pushing one race, gender, culture, enthnicity, etc… down doesn’t elevate another.  It’s like current events right now, you can have some people who are happy that ‘rich’ people have lost their money.  Are they any richer because the other has lost money?  No. Are they somehow justified because the other has lost money? No.  It just doesn’t make a lot of sense…  This really could have happened to anyone and we definitely need to pray for him like we would want others to pray for us if we were in this situation.

    13. Rockieswalker on Mon, March 16, 2009

      The responses are as discouraging as the morning paper. The redeeming factor is that the morning papers are going away for lack of interest, but the negativity grows like weeds in my lawn. Why would we have to rehash color of skin, whether John is stupid or not , and how he should be treated by the justice system.  True, he is in a bunch of trouble and will gather a lot of bad press and quite possibly a conviction.   The BLOG system frequently brings out hate rather than encouragement.  Haven’t we endured enough grades on previous report cards?

    14. Gene on Mon, March 16, 2009

      From the posts I have seen I do believe that the Attorney General is correct.  We can probably agree on one thing…the need to pray.  But I wonder to what God we would pray to?  Woe to them that call evil good and good evil.

    15. fishon on Mon, March 16, 2009

      Gene,


      You still didn’t answer the questions I asked for proof of your assertions.:::::::”...if he were a different hue of skin, there are laws on the books to deprive him of basic civil rights.”


      Show me a law on the books that differ for the difference in skin for a person carrying a gun onto an airplane.


      If you can’t, you are no better than those you accuse and attack.


      fishon

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